Golf Swing Analysis – DIY or Hire a Coach?

Getting golf swing analysis can change your game and help fix problems quickly. But should self-diagnose your swing or hire the help of a professional? 

Don’t let pride get in the way of asking for help. Even the pros have a team of coaches, sports psychologists, trainers, and even chefs to optimize their games.

While the everyday amateur golfer is left to figure their swing out on their own for the most part.  

As the great Bobby Jones said,

Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. It would seem that if a person has hit a golf ball correctly a thousand times, he should be able to duplicate the performance at will. But such is certainly not the case.

Today we’ll help you learn more about the power of video feedback for golf swing analysis and decide if it’s best to hire a coach. 

Making Sense of Golf Swing Analysis

Smartphones and golf apps have literally changed the way we play golf. Being able to video your swing on command is already a huge advantage that players of the past could only dream about.

Not to mention the insane amount of apps that can turn your smartphone into a golf coach or caddy. 

There are apps for everything you could need in golf including golf swing analysis apps, online GPS features, launch monitors, online scoring, and more.

While phones are helpful tools, let’s not forget about personal launch monitors either. These devices can measure club head speed, ball speed, distance, and tons of other data to understand your own golf swing.

Similar to a phone, older players would have killed for this type of information. While every pro has a monitor and coach to help analyze their swing data, this was previously way too expensive for the everyday golfer.

Now, you can buy one for $500 or less and pair with your smartphone to learn tons about your swing. 

All of this technology is great but it’s easy to get confused on what to focus on and what will help you hit your goals. Sort of like golf tips – more isn’t necessarily better – you need to learn how to decipher the data to get results.

As Harvey Penick said,

Golf tips are like Aspirin: One may do you good, but if you swallow the whole bottle you’ll be lucky to survive.

Now, let’s cover what you need for golf swing analysis and how to understand all the data. 

How to Self-Analyze Your Golf Swing

To properly analyze your golf swing you need a few things; a tripod (or friend who can record your swing), golf analysis app, and driving range or indoor simulator. 

A launch monitor is optional but not necessary for every golfer. However, if you take the game seriously and love learning more about your swing, a monitor can help a lot more than just swing videos. 

Plus, a lot of monitors sync with apps that allow you to pair your swing with data overlay in a swing library video. This is very helpful to monitor your swing over time and track your progress. 

Step 1: Record Your Swing

Once you have a collapsible tripod (they’re only $15-$20 on Amazon) you can start recording swing videos. The key when recording your golf swing is to get the right camera angles. 

You’ll need two angles to assess your golf swing form – face on and down the line. 

The trick is to position each angle correctly so you can evaluate all parts of your swing and get in the same spot every video. This makes it much easier to evaluate two golf swings from different range sessions inside a golf swing analyzer app. 

A face-on angle is a little more challenging to record than down the line at a busy driving range (as you might get close to a fellow player). Try to record during a less busy time or find a spot all the way to the end of the hitting area. 

When positioning a face on camera angle make sure to get your entire body in the frame. Position the camera so your chest is in the center of the frame and far enough back that your full swing is in frame. 

When positioning a down the line video you also want to get the camera angles right. The ideal camera position is inline with your golf glove – not the ball or your body.

Otherwise, your takeaway might look more outside or inside than it is because of the angle.

You’ll also want to record it far enough away to get your full body and swing in the video. Make sure the tripod is positioned about hip height in both angles too. This will give you the best videos and make analyzing much easier. 

Don’t forget to use slow motion for some golf swings to further analyze your swing too. 

Step 2: Use a Golf Swing Analysis App

Once you have multiple swing videos, it’s time to upload them into one of the following golf swing analysis apps.

Some of the most popular include V1 Sports, Swing Profile, Mirror Vision, Golf Swing Analyzer, and more. 

When comparing golf swing analysis apps make sure to consider:

• Free version or paid version. Some apps are 100% free, others have a paid version to unlock new features, and others require a subscription. Always check the cost before signing up as some auto-renew. If you like the app, opting for the annual subscription is usually a better deal too. 

• Analysis capabilities. You’ll want to also compare what you can do inside each app. All apps should allow you to draw lines, boxes, circles, etc. to compare swing videos. But others might allow you to compare your swing to professional swings and other features. 

• Coaching options. Lastly, don’t forget to see if you can share data with a coach to improve your game faster.  

Step 3: Objectively Analyze Your Mechanics

After you’ve found the right app to analyze your swing, upload your video(s) and start evaluating. This is the step where it might get a little confusing for the everyday golfer who isn’t very well versed in golf swing mechanics. 

To keep things as easy as possible for your golf swing analysis, focus on these big parts of the swing. 

From a face on angle you can evaluate:

• Grip: It’s hard to see the grip from behind the golf ball but this angle makes it easy to see if your grip is too weak or strong. 
• Ball position: Where you place the ball in your stance plays a huge role in the bottom point and overall contact. Shifting ball position is one of the easiest ways to improve your ball striking, especially if you’re hitting it fat or thin. 
• Swaying: A lot of golfers laterally sway vs. rotate their hips on the backswing. This is easy to spot from a face on angle and one of the most common reasons golfers hit it is fat or thin.
• Stance: This angle also makes it easy to figure out if your stance is the correct width for the club you’re hitting. Too narrow of stance can negatively affect ball position and too wide of a stance can make it hard to transfer your weight properly. 

From a down the line angle you can evaluate:

• Alignment: One of the best things to evaluate in your golf swing analysis is your aim. If you’re aimed wrong in the setup position, you’ll have to make adjustments to correct in your backswing or downswing. So many golfers never record their swing which leads to never understanding the critical role of alignment in their swing! 
• Takeaway: The takeaway is one of the most important moves in the golf swing. As Tom Watson said in Golf Digest,
  
  “I recall reading an article in which Arnold Palmer said the first couple of feet of the swing are the most important. I believe it. The takeaway does a lot to determine your swing path and tempo.” 
• Downswing: A down the line angle also makes it easy to identify if you’re over the top or under the proper plane. This is usually a result of the takeaway and grip, which will impact if you hit a push or pull. 

Step 4: Identify the Biggest Issue

As you can tell, there is a lot to think about with the golf swing and it is easy to see why golfers hire coaches to simplify the process.

If you prefer to learn on your own, we suggest always focusing on the biggest issue first. 

Start with the most important issue such as a grip, stance, posture, alignment or takeaway. 

A lot of the golf swing hinges on these positions and most of them have to do with setup. Which is a lot easier to try and fix than a specific part of your golf swing (and leads to better position while you swing).

The grip is the cornerstone of a good swing so if you’re missing shots left or right, check your grip first. If the grip is solid, look at your stance and posture as both also play a role in distance, tempo, and getting into a good position at the top of the backswing.

Finally, make sure your feet, hips, and shoulders are aligned properly to the target.

Once the foundation is set, then you can look at other issues like wrist hinge, takeaway, or downswing positions. 

Step 5: Create an Improvement Plan

Once you go through a full swing analysis, it’s time to identify a plan to improve. This is where things also get tricky for some golfers. It’s sometimes easy to see the issue – such as an inside takeaway or steep downswing… But how do you fix the issue? 

The DIY approach is YouTube or social media for general golf tips or specific issues. For instance, if you’re struggling with the takeaway it’s common for golfers to search for takeaway drills and tips. This can work but can also make things worse and send you down a rabbit hole of endless golf tips. 

Don’t forget the quote from above… A golf tip can help but 5 or 10 can hurt your game.

Aside from trying out different drills and tips from online instructors or influencers, training aids can help. For example, if you have an inside takeaway using something like the Planemate 2.0 Swing Trainer can help get into a better position.

Or, if you’re struggling with lag in the golf swing the LagShot swing trainer can do wonders. 

Work With a Golf Coach

As you can tell, there is a lot to consider for a proper golf swing analysis. Getting the right equipment and angles is overwhelming alone. Not to mention trying to self-analyze and figure out which part of your swing to change to get the results you want.

If you’re someone who is brand-new to intermediate, we suggest hiring a golf coach to simplify the process. Using Skillest you can connect with coaches around the world to properly analyze your swing and send tips or drills to improve. 

Here’s why: 

• Simplify the process. Golf is already a hard sport but trying to become your own swing coach is even more difficult. The golf swing is a complex motion that people study for years, if not decades to try and master. If you don’t want to learn the ins and outs of the swing, a coach can help simplify it so you don’t get overwhelmed. 
• Get faster results. Golfers want fast results because there’s nothing worse than a slump. If you try to analyze your own swing you might figure out what’s going on but then you need to learn what drills or training aids to fix the issue. With a coach they can streamline the process so you don’t waste time on the driving range and get faster results. This will lead to more fun and less frustration on the golf course. 
• Don’t make things worse. Some golfers think they can analyze their swing but it’s easier said than done. In fact, sometimes trying to analyze and fix your own swing can actually make things worse. There’s nothing worse than feeling lost with your swing and it can happen from over analyzing. Instead, hire a coach who can look at your swing objectively to provide tips and drills for better golf. 
• Get long-term coaching and accountability. There’s a reason professional golfers work with the same coach year after year – trust. Long term coaching can help golfers gain more confidence and cultivate belief. 

If you’re a more experienced player and know your swing, you might be able to analyze your swing. But it’s still not a bad idea to get the help of a coach to bounce ideas off of and make sure you’re on the right track. 

Optional – Don’t Forget About Putting

If golfers do record their swing, they tend to neglect short game and putting. But this is a big mistake and one of the reasons you might waste shots during the round.

Why?

Because analyzing your putting or chipping is a lot easier than a full golf swing. Putting is a simple motion that doesn’t happen at high speeds like the golf swing. This makes it easier for everyday golfers to analyze and implement changes quickly. 

For example, one time I played a round and missed every putt left – including an easy 3-footer for birdie on the 18th hole. After the round I had a friend record my stroke from down the line and face on. 

After watching the videos it was pretty evident that it wasn’t a stroke issue, but an alignment issue. My shoulders were very open to the target, which led to an outside putting stroke and pulled putts.

After watching the video, I got my shoulders square, and started instantly rolling putts toward my target. This was an easy fix thanks to a putting analysis without having to search for a golf coach. 

Plus, slow motion capabilities can also help you identify if your golf ball is rolling properly. If this sounds a little too overwhelming, don’t forget plenty of golf coaches that specialize in putting as well as full swing. 

Top Questions

What are the best golf swing analysis apps?

There are tons of apps that help analyze your golf swing like V1, Swing Profile Golf Analyzer, Blast Motion Swing Analyzer, and more. But the problem with these analyzers is that you need to decipher your own swing and figure out how to fix it.

For most golfers, this is nearly impossible and one of the reasons that Skillest was created. We know that it’s a hassle trying to be your own swing instructor and want to make it easy to get results fast. 

Why is Rory’s swing so good?

Rory has arguably one of the most fundamentally sound swings in golf. 

He produces effortless power with incredible balance on every swing. Despite being one of the smaller guys on the PGA Tour, he produces some of the fastest ball speed and is consistently one of the best drivers in professional golf. 

His swing is so pure because he has a great shallowing motion on the downswing. Paired with his ability to use the ground to generate power, he is one of the best ball strikers on tour. 

How do I compare my golf swing with pros?

Some golf apps allow you to do this so you can compare your swing with professional golfers with side by side comparison. 

This makes it helpful to see how certain positions in your golf swing compare to elite ballstrikers. 

Additionally, Skillest coaches can also provide this information too when you work 1:1 with a coach. 

However, we do recommend comparing your swing too much to other players – even professionals. Every golfer is different in terms of body type, flexibility, strength, and habits that have developed over years of golf practice. 

It’s best to always compare your swing with one person – your previous self. By comparing your current swing vs. prior months or years it’s the easiest way to see how you’ve changed.

While it’s okay to have a type of swing to model, it’s best to swing your swing and compare it with yours over time. 

What should I look at with golf swing analysis?

Golf swing analysis can get very technical, very fast. Which is why we suggest working with a certified Skillest instructor to help you decipher the swing and not get overwhelmed.  

Should I practice with a launch monitor?

It depends on how serious you are about improving and learning more about your game. 

Beginner golfers likely don’t need one yet and should focus on fundamentals. Intermediate to advanced golfers however can benefit greatly from additional data. 

Launch monitors make it easier to practice with intention and not waste your time banging balls on the range “guessing” distances or other data points.

They provide value feedback on every swing and a lot of them sync with golf apps on your mobile device to log each practice session. 

Plus, some monitors double as a simulator to improve your game at home in the off season. 

Summary

A golf swing analysis is a great idea and something you should do regularly. A free app or paid version of one of the best golf apps can help your game tremendously.

When you record your swing it’s easier to learn your habits, make changes quickly, and track progress over time. We highly recommend creating a library of swing videos (and short game videos) to analyze or send to a coach.

Taking videos of your game is pretty easy but analyzing and fixing issues is another beast. This is why we suggest working with an online golf coach through Skillest to simplify the process.

To recap, a golf coach can help you:

• Get faster results.
• Help with other parts of the game. 
• Objectively analyze your golf swing.
• Provide the best drills, tips, and training aids to improve.  

And even act as a mentor to help you for years to come. To avoid confusion and make this game less mystifying work with a Skillest golf coach today. 

Also, make sure to read this post next – “Golf Swing Analyzer vs. Golf Instructor.”